History

Young Kodai

As a young man, Grings Kodai traveled to Crown City after reading about its legends and history. In particular, he was interested in the city's relationship with Celebi and hoped to use the Pokémon's time travel abilities for his own ends. During an attempt to capture Celebi, Kodai ended up being connected through his capture device to Celebi's Time Ripple and absorbed its energy with the resulting shockwave completely wiping out all plant life in Crown City. Kodai found that, although he had failed to capture Celebi, he had managed to gain the power to see visions of the future. Using this new ability, Kodai quickly became a rich and successful businessman.

Twenty years later, Kodai realized that his ability to see the future was starting to fade. He became desperate to renew them so decided to return to Crown City (which had managed, through the hard work of its citizens, to recover from the earlier disaster) and find another Time Ripple and absorb its energy regardless of the cost. Deciding to use the Pokémon Baccer World Cup as a cover, Kodai announced that he was entering his own team - the Nimbasa Legends containing Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. The idea that Kodai was entering a team of Legendary Pokémon attracted a lot of interest, although they were in fact holograms.

Arriving in Crown City, Kodai blackmailed Zoroark into attacking Crown City in the guises of the Nimbasa Legends by threatening the safety of her child. Although Zorua managed to escape, this did not harm Kodai's plan, as Zoroark was unaware of that fact and Kodai could still use projections of Zorua to convince her.

Kodai then began his plan, secretly editing Zoroark's illusionary rampage to make it appear she was truly destroying the city. After that, he proceeded to order the city's evacuation and 'apologize' for his Pokémon rampaging and framing Zoroark for full responsibility of the attack. With the city empty, Kodai was free to search for his prize, the Time Ripple created by the Mythical Pokémon Celebi upon arrival. He intended to capture the Time Travel Pokémon in order to prevent it from reaching the Time Ripple before he could, as should that happen, the Time Ripple would disappear before he could obtain its power.

Kodai experiencing a vision

He was confident he would renew his powers, as he had experienced a vision revealing to him that he would emerge victorious despite the efforts of Ash, his friends, and Rowena to stop him. His visions and pursuit of Celebi ultimately led him to the Pokémon Baccer World Cup Stadium, where the Time Ripple was located. However, Kodai was tricked into chasing Zorua disguised as Celebi through a nearby forest. Despite the best efforts of Karl's Bronzor and Zorua, he ultimately knocked Bronzor out and recaptured Zorua with the claw he was planning to use to absorb the energy of the Time Ripple, only sustaining a bite to his arm in the process.

Upon returning to the stadium, he had his Mismagius disable Ash, Pikachu, and Celebi with Psychic, allowing him to approach the Time Ripple unopposed until Zoroark arrived, determined to reclaim her son and take revenge on Kodai. However, Kodai was prepared for this and used Zorua to hold Zoroark at bay, threatening to kill it should Zoroark continue opposing him, proving his point by electrocuting Zorua. He then ordered his Shuppet to finish off Zoroark as he began to absorb the Time Ripple's power, telling Ash that he did not care if all the greenery in Crown City dies once again. With his victory imminent, his prideful nature caused him to fully admit his role in the disaster 20 years earlier, saying that he would get away with it now just as he had then. As the disaster from the past started to repeat itself, time suddenly started reversing and Kodai realized to his horror that the Time Ripple he absorbed was merely an illusion created by Zoroark. Unable to understand how it happened, he discovered that when Zorua bit his wrist earlier in the fight, the young Pokémon destroyed his illusion canceler, leaving him open to Zoroark's powers.

Kodai and Goone arrested

Kodai was visibly angry after being captured on video admitting to his guilt in the previous disaster and acknowledging he would willingly cause it again. Enraged, he ordered his Shuppet to attack Zorua from behind for breaking his illusion canceler, but Zoroark jumped in front of the attack. Kodai then proceeded to violently attack Zoroark before she could recover for deceiving him, electrocuting her. However, she managed to strike back and use Dark Pulse. Her counterattack destroyed his robotic arm, preventing him from absorbing the Time Ripple. After that, Zoroark took down his Shuppet while his Mismagius fell to Ash's Pikachu and Dawn's Piplup.

With his claw destroyed and Pokémon defeated, Kodai was left defenseless as Zoroark and the three Shiny Legendary Pokémon that serve as the guardians of Crown City moved in on him. Despite this, Kodai managed to escape inside of the stadium, but before he could make his way out, he began hallucinating from another illusion created by Zoroark, believing himself safely on board his airship. Zoroark canceled her illusion, causing Kodai to trip over the guardrail of the balcony he was truly on, falling to the field of the stadium and knocking himself out. When he regained consciousness, he found himself surrounded by Zoroark, Zorua, Officer Jenny, and many others while the video recorded by Karl was broadcasting throughout the city on his own network. With the revelations that he was the one responsible for destroying the plant life two decades previously and that he was willing to do it again, Kodai was arrested by Officer Jenny.

During the credits of the movie, the news report published by Karl and Rowena revealed that Kodai and Goone were both arrested and sent to jail for their crimes.

Character

Kodai realizing his defeat

Kodai is known as a ruthlessly ambitious man who is widely recognized for his business success, even having a magazine published following his exploits. By the time of the movie, Kodai is the president of a powerful corporation bearing his name, the Kodai Network, with a secretary named Rowena and a bodyguard called Goone. However, his success is due to a mysterious power; at times, he will painfully hallucinate and receive a vision of the future.

Kodai gained his powers twenty years ago while causing a disaster that struck Crown City. Following a series of ancient records and legends, he discovered Celebi in the city and touched the Time Ripple produced from its time-traveling powers, absorbing its energy and gaining his future sight abilities. However, absorbing the mysterious energy inside the Time Ripple caused it to collapse, producing a tremendous explosion of "negative time" which killed all the plant life within Crown City and the areas around it. Nearly twenty years would pass before the city and its people fully recovered from the disaster.

Kodai is a master manipulator, using his supernatural ability to see into the future to set up complex plans in order to secure and increase his vast fortune. While he presents himself as kind person who looks out for the good of Crown City, he is actually one of the few characters in the anime to be portrayed as purely evil with no redeeming qualities, he is a heartless and egotistical sociopath with a pronounced sadistic streak. He shows no compassion and cares only for himself, not caring who or what he must destroy to get what he desires.

He is also shown to be incapable of feeling any remorse about his violent and destructive behavior. However, his two greatest weaknesses are his over-dependence on his future sight, which he used to gain his vast wealth and power, and his fear of losing that ability which he believed would gradually lead to the loss of everything he gained. Additionally, he is an extremely prideful man, which ultimately leads to his undoing.

Pokémon

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On Hand

Misdreavus → Mismagius

One of Kodai's Pokémon is a Mismagius, which he has owned since it was a Misdreavus. Years ago, when Kodai first discovered the Time Ripple, Misdreavus was present at the scene. After evolving, Mismagius still served Kodai faithfully and helped him by using its Psychic attack to prevent Ash from stopping Kodai from taking the energy from the ripple and renewing his ability to see the future. Mismagius was later defeated by Pikachu's Volt Tackle.

Shuppet is Kodai's other Pokémon and worked with him closely during his search for the Time Ripple. Years ago, Kodai used Shuppet to help him find Celebi's Time Ripple and it was thanks to this that Kodai accidentally got his powers after he attempted to extract some energy from it.

Years later, Shuppet was shown to be fiercely loyal to Kodai and obeyed his orders without question even though Kodai's eventual goal would end up wiping out all of the plant life in Crown City. It was shown to be ruthless in its obedience, as it attacked Zorua from behind when it attempted to run to Zoroark but was defeated thanks to Zoroark's Dark Pulse.

Controlled

Suicune, Raikou, and Entei (projections)

With the Pokémon Baccer World Cup approaching, Kodai claimed that he was going to enter his three Legendary beasts as a team, the Nimbasa Legends. However this was simply a ploy as the Beasts he was seen to own were only holograms that Kodai later claimed had escaped.

When Zoroark had done its job to attack Crown City in order to cause an evacuation, Kodai needed to retrieve it. In order to do that, he created a projection of Zorua as bait to lure Zoroark into a trap.

Escaped

Kodai kidnapped Zorua from his homeland alongside his adopted mother, Zoroark. Later Kodai attempted to hold him hostage to force Zoroark to follow his orders to attack Crown City. However, while being transported Zorua escaped Kodai's airship, but this didn't hold up Kodai's plans as Zoroark was unaware of the escape and Kodai made her believe Zorua was still captive.

Kodai's plan was for Zoroark to cause Crown City to be evacuated in order to allow him to search the city for Celebi's 'Time Ripple'. Once this was accomplished, Zoroark was recaptured however she later escaped when she heard Zorua screaming for help.

Technology

Kodai's vast wealth enables his access to a significant amount of high-tech equipment needed for his mission. Among the tools he is seen using:

Illusion Core: A small orb that can create a physical manifestation of artificial Pokémon data; very similar to Dr. Yung's Mirage System.

Illusion Canceler: A bracelet that, when activated, shows its wearer any nearby objects that are actually illusions.

Amphibious vehicle: A four-wheel drive, SUV-like car capable of driving in water just as well as on land. It is equipped with the illusion generator as well as remote-controlled saucers that can generate electrified iron crates. The unfolding arms in the back of the car can then tow the crate around.

Robotic arm: Originally appeared as a device contained within a backpack with a large arm-mounted cannon. It was later streamlined into a durable cable with a claw at the end which could be hidden inside Kodai's sleeve. It is used to absorb the time ripple's energy, and the modern version can also discharge electricity to shock anything in its grasp. Its output is capable of reaching a high level of voltage that can mortally wound the powerful Zoroark, making it potentially deadly to anything smaller or weaker.

Airship: A massive, eight-engined flying boat that serves as Kodai's base of operations.

Pen camera: A homing, flying camera disguised as a pen that can be used for spying. Its weakness is the loud buzzing it makes while flying.

Hoverboard: Used to quickly cover long distances and to find the time ripple. Similar to the hoverboard used by Zero, but equipped with radar maps of Crown City and a large spotlight.

Remote cameras: Several flight-enabled camera units used to carry out surveillance on many areas at once.

Video editing software: An extremely powerful, high-tech video editing program. It is capable of taking input from several video feeds at once and splicing pieces of them into one falsified, impossible-to-distinguish video.

In the manga

His role is nearly exactly the same as his role in the movie, but he uses his holograms more often, including confronting Ash via illusion instead of in person. After mortally wounding Zoroark, he runs to the stadium when confronted by her and the Legendary beasts. There, he meets his end when Zoroark chases him off the top of stadium wall with illusionary thorn vines, sending him falling.

Pokémon

Controlled

Suicune, Raikou, and Entei (projections)

With the Pokémon Baccer World Cup approaching, Kodai claimed that he was going to enter his three Legendary beasts as a team. Unlike the anime, the team he entered does not have a name, and they were Shiny colored, much like the actual Legendary beasts that appeared later.

Kodai's plan throughout the manga adaptation of the movie was to capture Zorua and Zoroark. Since Zorua escaped, he tried to blackmail Zoroark into destroying Crown City but ends up being stopped by Ash and his friends.